She is quick to distance herself from "those fans"- the ones who found a renewed interest in the Boston Celtics only after General Manager Danny Ainge overhauled the team last off-season following a dismal 24-win campaign, trading a lottery pick for Ray Allen, swapping a gaggle of young talent for Kevin Garnett, then signing a cache of role players like James Posey and Eddie House.

Asked if she had just hopped on the green bandwagon, the Marlborough resident did not get indignant, but rather moved her shirt up to reveal a "Celtics Pride" shamrock tattoo on the small of the back.

"I had the tattoo when I was 18; I'm 24 now," said Naumes, a former Celtics ball girl, while awaiting the 8:45 a.m. inbound train at the West Natick commuter rail station yesterday. "This is like the greatest moment of my life. I was in tears when they won."

She was among the throngs of thousands who swarmed downtown Boston along the Boylston Street victory parade route to pay homage to the world champion Celtics two days after Boston dispatched the Los Angeles Lakers 131-92 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. It is the team's 17th championship.

Girlfriends and pennant-waiving children were hoisted onto shoulders, while others held cell phone cameras aloft as local basketball royalty rolled by on World War II-era duck boats.

Some climbed trees, others scaled covered buses stops to catch a glimpse of Boston's most recent cadre of champions.

While Naumes has the ink to prove her longterm loyalty, fellow parade reveler Jennifer Greska, 22, of Marlborough, owned up to a less fervent fanaticism.

"I'm a fairweather fan; you can put that in the paper. This is my first Celtics shirt I bought," said Greska.

Kara Harris is old enough to drive, buy cigarettes and vote, but is new to the Celtics' winning ways. She was not alive when the last banner was hoisted into the rafters of the bygone Boston Garden.

"The Celtic pride has been brought back," said Harris of Ashland on the train en route to the victory parade, adding, "I will marry Ray Allen. He got game."

Page 2 of 2 - It was Allen's shooting turnaround in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Detroit Pistons that convinced Kelley Martins the Celtics were title-bound.

"Once he started hitting shots, I knew it was over," said Martins, 21, of Southborough.

Matt Jeye, 12, of Holliston, had camped out along with several of his friends - all dressed in Celtics jerseys - on Boylston Street at 9 a.m.

Containing Bryant, the league's MVP, was the foremost reason downtown swirled with confetti yesterday, according to the 12-year-old Holliston resident.

"They needed to stop Kobe, because he's a team unto himself," he said.

One of Matt's crew, Holliston resident Cameron Waddell, turned 9 yesterday and said he could not have asked for a better birthday present than seeing his favorite player, point guard Rajon Rondo in the flesh.

"I was able to stay up until halftime for Game 6, it was cool," said Waddell.

While the championship celebration is the sixth this decade in Boston, many, including Casey Slade, expect to have a similar celebration next summer.

"If they keep who they have now they'll be all right," said Slade, 18, of Ashland.

Jared Greenblatt, 17, of Stoughton, also predicted more of the same come next season.